IN – Community rallies to Take Back the Night

Article
By Rachael Chase
Posted: 10/25/06

Shouts of “2, 4, 6, 8, no more violence, no more rape” filled the ISU campus on Tuesday night as students, faculty and members of the community gathered for the annual Take Back the Night rally and march.
Dede Plaza was filled with people as speakers told their stories and spoke of the problem of sexual violence on college campuses and communities across America.
According to a poster presented by the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, an American woman has a 25 percent chance of being raped in her lifetime. In addition, one in 10 rape victims are men.
Megan Anderson, a senior English major, is a member of the class, taught by Linda Maule, that helped plan the rally. She said Take Back the Night has been going on at ISU since 1991.
“This is an event to help promote awareness about violence against women,” she said. “We want people to know what sexual assault is, what to do if it happens to you and how to prevent it.”
Anderson said planning for the event began in August and included making presentations at schools and raising money for Victim Assistance, an organization that provides help to victims of crimes.
Sarah Engle, a senior political science and legal studies major, also helped to plan the event.
“Our goal was to educate students about how violence can affect people they know,” she said. “It is important for people to realize that violence affects everyone.”
Engle said it is important for people to be aware of sexual assault because “if you become educated about what is going on, you can become an active participant in stopping it.”
Engle was also involved in outreach programs prior to the event that aimed at spreading sexual violence awareness among elementary and high school students. They sponsored poster and essay contests for local students to encourage them to think about how they can resolve violence issues in their communities.
“Every two minutes, someone in America is sexually assaulted,” Anderson said. “That’s why this year we are focusing on sexual violence.”
Tammi Dokes read a proclamation on behalf of the city of Terre Haute that showed the city’s support for the rally.
“Our community has united tonight to protest violence, promote awareness and let people know that they are not alone,” Dokes said. She also mentioned that one in six women and one in 33 men in America will be victims of sexual assault at some point in their lives.
Amy Huntsinger, a sophomore public relations major, said sexual assault is a problem in America that people should notice.
“It’s important that we don’t suppress this issue,” Huntsinger said. “People should know how to get help if they become victims of sexual assault.”
Nicole Christlieb, a junior legal studies major and vice president of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, said the rally was a way to make people take notice of the problem of sexual assault.
“It makes people think about the issue,” she said. “It brings it to the surface, puts it in your face and makes you realize that domestic violence is a problem.”
Ally Figg, a junior English major, agreed with Christlieb that the event was important in promoting awareness of sexual violence.
“I think people in general don’t want to think about rape and domestic violence because it could happen to you or your best friend,” Figg said. “Victims need help in coming forward, and events like this show them that people care about them.”
Many victims of sexual assault never tell authorities what happened to them, said Heather Mosbarger, a former ISU Public Safety officer and crime prevention specialist. Mosbarger is now pursuing a master’s degree in criminology and researching the problem of rape in Indiana.
“When I worked at Public Safety, I received report after report from sexual assault victims,” Mosbarger said, “but often the offenders were never prosecuted because the victims didn’t want that type of attention, or there wasn’t enough evidence to convict.”
As a survivor of sexual assault, Mosbarger said she understands the problems that victims face in coming forward.
“I somehow rationalized that what had happened to me was my fault, so for a long time I pretended it never happened,” she said. “I finally realized that even though I may not have made a good decision that night, I did not deserve to be a victim of sexual assault.”
Mosbarger urged victims to come forward with their stories and break their silence.
Jacquelyn and David Smith, officers with ISU Public Safety, showed a demonstration of techniques that are taught in the rape aggression defense class put on by Public Safety. Students who had taken the class showed the kicks, punches and other strategies they had learned as ways to ward off a potential attacker.
The course is free for students and faculty. Smith said the course builds confidence and is geared toward teaching women how to use their bodies and their areas of strength to protect themselves from sexual assault. Groups or individuals can schedule to take the course by calling Public Safety.
Victoria Trench, a junior business administration major, and Dashiell Adler-Holmes, a sophomore communication studies major, both attended the event.
“I missed it last year and had heard a lot about it, so I wanted to check it out,” Adler-Holmes said. “I wanted to show my support by being here.”
Trench said Take Back the Night is an important event because women should stand up for themselves and their rights. “It’s a really good cause,” Trench said.
The rally concluded with a march around campus to protest sexual violence, accompanied by chants. Participants waved glow sticks and chanted about ending violence and rape.
“However we dress, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no,” participants yelled during the march.
Sadie Davis, a sophomore political science major, said she participated in the march last year.
“It was really empowering to hear all those women screaming,” she said. “It made me want to come back.”